Middlebury College

Tag Archives: scheduling

We have just introduced a new course schedule planning tool to help students discover courses and arrange selections of them that avoid timing conflicts.

When browsing the online catalog at go/catalog you can now log in and save courses that you find interesting. Look for “Save” links to the top-right of course descriptions. Courses can be saved either from the search view or from the detail views linked-to from department course listings.

This screen-cast gives an overview of the Schedule-Planner and how to use it:

Notable features:

Save courses at any time as you come across interesting ones.

Create one or more schedules for a term to see how different course selections might fit together.

Ensures that discussion and lab sections are considered.

Time-conflicts are highlighted.

Schedules can be emailed to an adviser or anyone else.

Schedules can be printed to aid in finding classrooms.

Please note that this tool is designed as a planning and advising aid — it does not register you for classes. Also, it does not have access to individual student records and hence does not check that prerequisites have been met.

As the beginning of the Fall Term steadily approaches, it’s a good time to review LIS policies regarding room scheduling. These are readily available to you in Public Folders in Outlook. Look for Public Folders, then LIS, then Library Room Schedules, then Library Room Guidelines. It is also available in the LIS staff folder on Snowleopard.

It’s especially important during the busy first 2 months of the Term that LIS staff meeting classes have priority in the instructional spaces. Please be firm in applying the guidelines and flexible in moving meetings that could take place in a different space or at a different time. Each room has it’s own guidelines. In LIB 105, for example:
• Scheduling more than 7 days in advance is only for LIS+ instruction/training, otherwise open as a computer lab
• Should be used for meetings/trainings when every individual needs a computer
• Non-LIS+ faculty and staff may reserve for non-recurring classes/trainings (needing computer use) no earlier than 7 days in advance
• Groups smaller than 8 should try and use other rooms (room 221/230 with laptops checked out)
• Be sensitive to academic calendar and student needs for computer labs
• Avoid scheduling during busy student times (mid terms, end of terms, exams)
You will earn the appreciation and gratitude of those of us who are attempting to schedule classes for instruction.